Shinobi Hime
by Ethereal Wishes
Summary: Sora is a princess in love with her mysterious bodyguard Leon. Her parents announce that she is to have an arranged marriage but things fall apart as Sora becomes caught up in the sacrificial life of the shinobi and discovers the true meaning of hardship.
1. Prologue

**Shinobi Hime**

**Author's Note: **The word **"Hime" **in Japanese translates into the word **"princess" **in English. The word "**Shinobi" **translates into the word "**"ninja" in English.** I hope you enjoy **Shinobi ** _**Hime.**_The inspiration for this story came from the short oneshot manga _Kohime Soushi._ It's by Koge-Donbo(better known as the author of Pita-Ten and A Little Snow Fairy Sugar). I highly recommend it because it has played a huge role in this story. I dedicate this story to my BFF Laura and my most faithful reviewer The Phoenix Feather! Please R&R!

A seventeen year old girl rested her head under a sakura tree as pink blossoms danced around her snoozing form in the breeze.

"Princess?" a familiar voice disturbed her slumber.

The girl yawned and stretched as she drowsily opened her eyes, "Leon-san how did you ever find me this time?"

"Princess I've sworn my allegiance to the king as your protector, I'm avowed to my duties." He stated.

"How many times have I told you to call me Sora?" she complained.

"Your surname is your sacred identity princess, and I'm unworthy to bestow upon you such a title." He responded as his long silver ponytail wafted in the wind. Sora felt her heart catch in her throat at the sight of him. Leon was tall and muscular with long lustrous hair. He had been her alleged guardian ever since she could walk, and he'd always been by her side, and she secretly loved them.

"Nevermind." She murmured as she sauntered towards the tallest tree and began to climb.

"Princess what are you doing?" Leon demanded fearfully.

"Climbing this tree, what does it look like?" she remarked sarcastically.

"Princess the king has told me I must keep you safe, and I forbid you to climb that tree!" he objected.

"You and what army?" she said testily as she stepped onto another branch. She loved testing Leon's patience and getting him all riled up. She was pretty sure she was responsible for most of the silver pigment in his hair. She was about to climb onto another branch when she felt a dead weight on the branch she was standing on.

Leon had jumped onto the branch and threatened to grab her but she was too quick and quickly jumped on the next branch leaving him baffled by her sudden move.

"Princess I will and can use force!" he warned as he moved to the next branch.

"Catch me if you can!" she teased giving him a raspberry and flitting to the next limb but her parade was soon cut short as the limb snapped from her weight.

"Princess!" Leon gasped as he grabbed her arm in an attempt to save her but the branch he was standing on snapped as well and they both tumbled to the ground. Sora landed safely on Leon but Leon landed on his back knocking the wind out of him.

'"Leon-san!" Sora gasped rushing to his side checking his pulse.

"Leon-san please wake up!" she cried shaking him.

He coughed as he tried catching his breath and winced as he sat up. "Princess why are you set on giving me a heart attack?" He sighed weakly.

"Oh Leon-san, you're alive!" she cried throwing her arms around him happily.

"Princess, I'm fine just please stop putting yourself in danger! One day I may not be there to protect you." He warned.

"I promise Leon-san…" she solemnly swore.

"Thank you now it's best if I get you back to the castle, it will be getting dark soon and there are many dangerous things that could harm you at night." He retorted as he jumped to his feet and led them both back to the castle.

~X~

That night at dinner Sora's mother and father showered her with questions:

"How are your studies coming along?"

"Are you still giving Leon-san a hard time?"

"What do you plan to do with your life?" and it continued on something like this until Sora felt as if her brain had turned to mush.

"Sora your mother and I have made a decision; we have set up an arranged marriage meeting for you." Her father announced. Sora felt as if the chicken and the bone had become lodged in her throat by this statement.

"What do you mean an arranged marriage!" she choked out.

"Well your father and I think it's high time you consider marriage, you're not a little girl anymore Sora and it's time to grow up." Her mother stated.

"You want me to marry a complete stranger!" she gasped.

"He won't be a complete stranger after you get to know him sweet pea." Her father remarked taking a long drink of his water. Sora felt as if she really had fallen out of that tree but hadn't been caught by Leon-san. She wished after the casual dinner conversation she had.

She retired to her bedchamber as a wave of queries kept her awake,

_What was she going to do now?_

_How could she marry someone she didn't love?_

_Could she run away?_

They all seemed too difficult to follow through with at the moment as a restless sleep finally overtook her.

~X~

The next day while sitting under the sakura tree with her private tutor Mia she felt herself dozing off several times.

"Sora what is the square root of nine?" Mia repeated again.

"Huh?" Sora asked completely awake.

"Sora have you been listening to anything I've been saying?" Mia scolded.

"Yes it was square roots correct?" she inquired.

"Yes but what's the answer?" Mia probed.

"I have no idea…I'm sorry Mia but my brain is a bit fuzzy today, you see I didn't sleep-"but Mia cut her off.

"Sora, you're going to have to start taking your studies more seriously if you ever expect to lead your people one day." Mia chastised as she shut the book of arithmetic.

"Mia my parents are making me get married!" she shot out tears streaming down her face.

"They're what!" Mia exclaimed with a dumbfounded look on her face.

"My parents have set up an arranged marriage meeting for me." She said quietly looking down.

"But why!" Mia questioned.

"Because they said it's time I grow up…" she said quietly.

"Well maybe it won't be so bad." Mia remarked trying to lift her spirits.

"What do you mean it might not be so bad?" Sora remarked distastefully.

"Yes you're right nothing good can come from this." Mia sighed adjusting her glasses.

"Besides I'm in love with someone else." She whispered inaudibly.

"Who?" Mia pried.

"Who what?" Sora acted confused.

"You said you were in love with someone else so who is it?" Mia questioned.

"You weren't supposed to hear that!" Sora growled.

"Well then keep your thoughts to yourself then!" Mia scowled.

"Fine I'll tell you!" she sighed in defeat.

"So who is it?" Mia prodded.

"Leon-san…" She muttered quietly.

"You're going to have to speak louder I can't hear you!" Mia bellowed.

"Be quiet! He's right over there!" Sora hissed referring to Leon standing only a few yards away. He was always a short distance away always watching over her.

"You're in love with your bodyguard! That's a little weird." Mia sneered.

"I knew you wouldn't understand!" Sora accused.

"Woah calm down princess! I'm just saying maybe it's not such a good idea, I mean do you even know anything about him?" Mia queried.

Sora thought about her friend's statement for a moment, in all truth she really didn't know much at all about her mysterious guardian, maybe she should start.

Later that afternoon when she was alone with him she decided she would ask him a few things about himself.

"So Leon-san could you tell me a little bit about your life?" Sora inquired.

"Princess the only life I have that matters is here serving you." He retorted and that was the best answer she got all day. She began to wonder about her mysterious protector. Was there any substance to the man at all? He seemed to give her generic answers to all of her questions or turn the conversation back to her. He was hiding something from her, from everyone and she didn't like it. Who was this man she'd known her entire life yet knew so little about?

She tossed and turned in her bed that night as thoughts of her arranged marriage and mysterious protector plagued her mind. She was startled when she heard a noise awaken her in the middle of the night. She was a light sleeper and having so much on her mind hadn't helped much either. She decided to investigate.

She crept out into the courtyard holding a brass candlestick in both hands standing on guard. She heard something or someone in the bushes.

"Halt! Who goes there!" she demanded.

Suddenly she heard lots of sounds rustling in the bushes as a band of ninjas surrounded her standing alert and in formation.

Sora dropped the candlestick helplessly. She just knew this was the end, so she closed her eyes anticipating the worst but none came. She opened one eye to see Leon holding off the band of ninjas and using fighting techniques she'd never even seen before.

"Run princess!" he cried and she did as he commanded but instead of escaping she ran right into an oncoming ninja. He approached her with a dagger in one hand but before he could harm her he fell to the ground with a blade sticking out of his back. She screamed but could hear no sound as she was hit hard across the back of her skull.

"Leon-san…." She called out before she met the darkness.

**A/AN: I hope this didn't seem a bit rushed…I was going to turn it into a one-shot but the further I got into it I decided that it would just work better as a story. Please read and review! Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**Author's Note: ** I hope that everyone didn't think that the prologue was too rushed? Prologues are typically short and mine wasn't…I hope that everyone likes this story because I've never written anything like it before. Well on to chapter one! R&R!

Sora awoke to a burning feeling throughout her body as if someone had doused her with gasoline and lit her on fire. She wanted to scream but made no sound. She was lying on a tatami mat inside a small room. There was no furniture in the room but the tatami, and the walls were very thin clearly made of rice paper with only a flimsy screen door separating her from whoever else was out there. She longed to move but heard the sound of hushed voices and the shuffling of feet. She made no sound and quickly shut her eyes. She heard footsteps coming closer and then the sound of the flimsy screen door being pushed open.

She heard the soft footfalls of the intruder coming closer and then they were kneeling down beside her and propping her mouth open and pouring a foul tasting liquid down her throat. She coughed and sputtered but felt a soothing voice clearly female begin to speak to her.

"Rest now…" the voice cooed as Sora felt her eyelids become heavy with sleep, and she drifted back off peacefully.

Sora awoke what seemed like days later to see the sunlight leaking through the thin paper walls. She wondered how long she'd been in this strange dwelling or how long she'd slept. She sat up and stretched as she examined the plain dull living space. She was clearly in a dojo but then she began to wonder just how far from home was she? She could be hundreds of miles away or just over the bend. Who was her host and what did they plan on doing with her? She felt her head begin to pound and the familiar heat engulf her body again.

She heard footsteps and then the screen door being opened and shut and someone lifting her up. Sora hazily looked up at the stranger who had placed her back on the tatami mat.

"Where am I and who are you?" she said weakly now really feeling the throbbing pain in her head.

"My name is of no importance at the moment and neither is our location. You're safe here and that is all that matters at the moment." The woman replied.

She was wearing a black garb and her face was covered. She noticed the woman's piercing cerulean eyes and long blond hair that was pulled back in a long ponytail.

"Leon-san…" she whispered as the night of the attack flooded her mind.

"Leon is fine, he's safe now rest. I'll bring you something to eat in a little while." The mysterious woman retorted before leaving her alone again.

Sora began to feel so hopeless and alone. Back in her kingdom she was always well aware of things going on around her but here she felt like she had been left in the dark. She began to wonder if Leon-san was really okay or had that woman just lied to her so that she wouldn't question her further? She began to wonder about her parents and if they were still alive or not. She settled back down on the tatami and drifted back off to sleep until she was awakened what seemed just like a few minutes later to the feel of a wooden spoon touching her lips.

"I brought you some broth." The familiar voice spoke.

Sora sat up and hungrily drained the bowl of its contents along with the soaked bread marinating in the stew. She tasted hints of cabbage and potatoes, but she probably would've eaten it even if it was mud. She felt famished and wondered when she'd last eaten.

"Feel better?" the woman asked as she handed her a glass of water which she quickly gulped down.

"How long was I out for?" she queried feeling a little better as the stew set well in her empty stomach.

"Three days." The woman replied as she removed the covering that veiled her face. Sora looked at her rather startled by her unique beauty. The woman had long flowing blond hair, piercing azure eyes, and a flawless complexion.

"Who are you?" she breathed in awe of this woman's beauty.

"My name is Layla of the phoenix clan." She introduced herself.

"I'm Sora princess of the Kaleido Region." She replied.

"Princess if I were you I would keep your identity a secret here because it might just get you killed." Layla advised.

"But what about Leon-san? He will protect me, it's his job." Sora informed her.

"You really are a naïve girl princess and your virtue amuses me. Leon is in no state to protect anyone especially you, so I advise you learn a few useful skills that will keep you alive here." Layla informed her.

"May I see him?" Sora pleaded with melancholy eyes.

"As you wish princess but only for a moment for he received a far greater beating than yourself. In fact he's lucky to even be alive." she reported.

"I won't stay too long I promise." Sora assured her as Layla showed her the way.

Sora found herself in another room dimly lit by an oil lamp that canvassed the walls. The room was just as plain as hers with only a tatami mat lying on the floor. Sora noticed a man she barely recognized taking in sharp raspy breaths. He clearly looked bruised and beaten and his usual tanned skin had become discolored with purples and blues. He had a busted lip and deep gashes all over his body that wasn't bandaged.

"Who did this to him…?" Sora said softly falling to her knees startled by the haunting image in front of her.

"The ones that were hell bent on capturing you princess." Layla said somberly focusing her eyes on the burning oil lantern.

"What do they want with me?" Sora countered.

"If they can have you then they have everything: a kingdom, a place of power, everything your ancestors have worked for." She stated emotionless.

"They can't have me!" Sora grimaced burning with anger.

"Then don't let them, fight for your kingdom, your people, your heritage." she responded.

"Layla-san teach me to fight! Help me teach those mutinous hellions a lesson!" she begged.

"You have asked a very hard thing of me princess, and I'm not very sure if you're ready for the training…You will have to forget your life as a monarch if you are to become one of us." She said darkly sending chills up her spine.

"One of you?" she questioned.

"Princess did it ever occur to you why Leon never told you anything about his past or his true identity?" she quizzed.

"Why yes but I only thought he was only protecting me." Sora retorted.

"He was but it's too late now, the thing he feared would hurt you the most already threatens your life so turning back is not an option. You must embrace the life of the shinobi or die." Layla stated enigmatically.

"Shinobi? You mean Leon-san is?" she breathed full of astonishment.

"Yes Leon-san is a ninja and a very skilled one at that. He's been protecting you for a long time but now it's time to protect yourself. You must learn the ways of the shinobi if you want to stop them." Layla enlightened.

"Them?" Sora questioned.

"The Clan of Fools, the ones who attacked your kingdom and hurt your Leon-san." she replied.

"How do I defeat them?" she asked now full of drive and determination.

"First you must learn how to fight." She answered

"When can I start?" Sora asked full of anticipation.

"We start at the first light of dawn." Layla announced.

"All right well let's do it then!" Sora said sharply as she exited the room Leon resided in.

"_I promise you that I will make them pay Leon-san….I will learn all the ways of the shinobi and make you proud and hopefully one day you will see me more than just a petted princess." She spoke inaudibly to him hoping he could somehow read her thoughts._

**A/AN: I hope that everyone liked this chapter, please give me suggestions or things that you would like to see happen! I'm open to all opinions!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**Author's Note: **Well it's been awhile but here's a new chapter of _Shinobi Hime. _I know some of you have been anticipating it so here it goes!

Sora looked dumbfounded at the mop and bucket in front of her, "What's this?" she questioned.

"This is part of your training." Layla informed her.

"What am I supposed to do with it?" she blinked eyeing it carefully.

"You're to mop and scrub this entire dojo." Layla instructed her before walking away.

"How is this part of my training?" she called back to her feeling very frustrated with the task at hand.

"I need to see how dependable you are." She said before disappearing from her view.

"I've never cleaned a day in my life…" Sora sighed feeling out of the loop.

"Well I suggest you learn." Said a girl with fiery red hair wearing a black garb. She had piercing blue eyes and was a little shorter than Sora.

"Who are you?" Sora blinked eyeing her suspiciously.

"My name is Rosetta and my specialty is the Diablo." She stated looking at her intently.

"Specialty?" Sora questioned.

"My specialty is my weapon I wield of choice, everyone here has either a weapon they're extremely skilled at using or some have a power they can activate at any time." She enlightened.

"A power…Is it possible that I might have a power that I can activate in battle?" she inquired becoming very inquisitive.

"The only people who have these powers are the ones that are born under a full moon." She elaborated with a mystical look in her eyes as if she was craving a battle.

"Well do you think you could help me activate my powers if I have any or teach me a skill?" she asked leaning in closer.

"Sure I'll teach you a skill princess." Rosetta smirked as she pulled out an object resembling a child's toy.

'What kind of joke is this?' she thought to herself as she watched the young girl equip her weapon. Rosetta placed the childish looking object on a string and shot it through the air aiming right for Sora's head.

"AHH! Hey what are you doing!" demanded Sora dodging the attack before it hit her.

"You said you wanted to battle!" exclaimed Rosetta aiming her Diablo in all directions just like a missile.

"I don't have anything to battle with!" she yelped barely missing her onslaughts.

"Then activate your power princess or you'll die by my hand!" Rosetta warned her as the ambush of Diablo attacks became more frequent, so she grabbed the only thing at hand—her mop.

"Hi-ya!" Sora shouted jumping through the air towards her raider.

Rosetta stopped her attack with just one simple throw of her Diablo to the head leaving her unconscious. Sora saw thousands of stars swirling around her before she blacked out.

~X~

"_Rosetta I precisely told you to test her not kill her!" the voice hissed._

"_I just thought she needed a lesson in self-defense." Rosetta shrugged unmoved by the situation._

"_She must be protected…She's the chosen one." The voice whispered in return._

"_I didn't know! I promise I'll be more careful next time!" Rosetta apologized feeling astonished by this revelation._

"_We mustn't reveal any of this to her until the time is right." The unknown voice instructed._

"_Right." Rosetta nodded in full agreement._

_~X~_

"What happened?" Sora mumbled coming too. She held her head when she was reminded of the pulsating pain.

"You were hit in the head by one of our clan members." A voice she recognized told her.

"Oh so it wasn't a dream then…" she muttered as she continued to rest her head in her hands.

"I'm surprised that you actually took some initiative to defend yourself." Layla said emerging from the shadows.

"Layla?" she blinked very confused.

"Sora I think that perhaps you might be trainable after all." She retorted with a twinkle in her eye.

"Rosetta said there are powers that a few of the clan members are able to activate in battle…Do you have one of those powers Layla?" she questioned.

"That is Master Layla to you princess….I will not reveal any of my battle secrets to you until you prove your worth here as a servant and an opponent!" she exclaimed as fire and ice collided in her eyes—sending sparks of light throughout the room.

"I will Master Layla!" Sora said bowing humbly.

"Then arise and complete the task I have set before you!" she commanded throwing her fist in the air full of excitement.

"What would that be!" Sora inquired pumping her fist in the air excitedly.

"Mopping the dojo like I asked you to earlier now get to work!" Layla demanded handing her the bucket and mop.

"Yes Master Layla!" Sora saluted her like the captain of the guard would do before scurrying away.

"She has now mercy does she?" Sora sighed mopping the same room for the third time as she awaited inspection.

"Much better now clean the rest of the dojo!" Layla commanded leaving Sora with her work cut out for her.

"Who are you?" inquired a mysterious voice behind her.

"My name is…" but Sora slowly turned around before finishing her sentence to meet the face of another young girl around the same age as Rosetta—the girl who'd nearly forayed her earlier. The girl had soft blue eyes with tousles of blond curls.

"Are you dumb or something?" the girl shot out overly examining her.

"No I'm not! I'm the princess of this entire region as a matter-of-fact!" Sora defended herself boldly.

"If you're a princess then why are you mopping the floors?" the girl inquired curiously.

"Good point." She sweat dropped.

"You're funny." The young girl giggled.

"I feel very out of place here." Sora sighed leaning on her mop for support.

"I'm Marion…the clan leader's daughter." She stated introducing her herself.

"I'm Sora, and I'm the princess of the Kaleido region. My kingdom was attacked four days ago, and I was brought here wherever here is." She said sighing sadly feeling very lost and alone.

"Don't be sad Sora! You'll be home again very soon I'm sure of it!" Marion jumped in exuberantly.

"You really think so?" Sora asked perking up a bit.

"Uh huh!" Marion assured her.

"Thank you Marion…but can you tell me where I am?" Sora queried still very unsure of her remote location.

"You're at least a day's trip from home." Marion retorted.

"I see so do you know what anyone's planning to do about my kingdom?" she asked feeling her tongue burn with anticipation.

"No one has said anything about your kingdom princess." Marion informed her.

"I see." Sora sighed feeling a bit at unease.

"You have a purpose here Sora…" Marion said as her gaze sharpened. The wind whipped wildly through the trees as if they were speaking to her and then she looked down to see that Marion was gone.

"Did I just see a ghost…?" Sora inquired to herself feeling very frightened. She slowly looked to her left and then to her right, but she was nowhere to be found.

"This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder." She said to no one in particular as her mopping began to get slower and slower.

Sora began to contemplate all sorts of strange things. She was really dead and this was purgatory. She was stuck in a coma, and she'd somehow dreamed all this up or this really was reality and she would have to deal with it.

"Not too bad." Layla said examining her work.

"What would you like me to do next Master Layla?" she asked carefully.

"Get some rest; you've passed the first part of your training. Tomorrow will be the real deal." Layla informed her before sauntering off.

Sora lied down on her tatami relieved that she could finally rest. She wondered if she would be able to keep up with the rest of whatever Layla had planned for her. She shuddered at the thought of what her future held here. Could she truly embrace the life of the shinobi and become the one thing Leon had tried to protect her from? She laid on her stomach and began to drift off to sleep and then began to dream.

~X~

_Sora found herself in a forest with the sound of the wind howling around her, but the trees weren't blowing at all. She looked down to notice that she was wearing different attire from the one she'd been given at the dojo. She was wearing light pink robes with the symbol of a full moon on the front. The sleeves were long like a kimono but were slit up the sides. She had on boots that came to her knees; they were strong and made easy for movement. She also noted her hair was pulled back in two long braids securely fastened by two sakura hair clips._

"_Where am I?" she said aloud to no one in particular admiring her new outfit._

"_You're in hell!" someone shot out from behind moving swiftly behind her. Sora jumped in the air to avoid being run into the ground by her newfound foe._

"_I'm Sora Princess of the full moon! Be prepared to die by my sword fool!" she cried taking the newly discovered sword from her hilt nailing her perpetrator to the ground. She only caught his garments, so she pinned him down to the ground with her knee and looked at him with blazing eyes. He was wearing a mask, so she pulled it from his eyes to notice that in horror he had no features at all. He was a faceless man. She jumped back in horror as the thing laughed at her menacingly. _

_~X~_

She woke up in a cold sweat breathing heavily.

"It was only a dream…." She assured herself, "Just a dream." She said again trying to calm her breathing.

She stood up and dusted off her robes to notice that her room was very dark except for the tiny candle flickering in the corner of her room. She picked up the candle and opened the screen door and headed towards Leon's room. She opened the door and closed it. He was still sleeping but had new dressings for his wounds. She knelt down beside him and brushed a lock of silver hair from his eyes gently.

"Leon tomorrow I start my first day of training with Layla…I wish you could be there to watch it." She sighed feeling lost within his darkened room.

"I promise that I'll get stronger so that I can protect you from everyone who seeks your life. I feel like I'm meant to be here for some reason. I think maybe that I'm the one who can save us all." She said surprising herself with her foolish statement.

"What I'm trying to say is please get better quickly Leon-san so that we can go home!" she exclaimed feeling a strange sensation course through her body like there was something inside her that needed to come out.

"Goodnight Leon-san…" she whispered goodbye before leaving his room. She shut the door behind her and walked out into the night to notice a full moon had risen above her. It exemplified the sensation she was feeling and it allured her into its mesmerizing presence.

"Don't go any closer!" a voice shouted and before she knew it she was being tackled to the ground by someone wearing a black garb.

"You're very lucky she didn't take you." The tackler told her removing their garb to reveal none other than Layla herself!

"Master Layla what's wrong with me? Why do I feel like I'm about to explode from all this pressure building up inside of me?" Sora asked holding her head in anguish.

"Come back inside now!" Layla said forcefully yanking her up and dragging her back inside the dojo make the feeling inside her lapse.

"Why do I feel like I'm being pulled in every direction?" she asked again feeling very dizzy.

"Sora I think you just might be her." She stated heavily.

"What do you mean?" Sora questioned.

"I think you're the one who will save us all." She respired feeling very sure that the girl standing in front of her was the final piece that they all needed to complete the puzzle.

**A/AN: Three new characters…Rosetta the Diablo master, Marion the mysterious clan leader's daughter, and a mysterious person who is yet to be revealed! What's wrong with Sora and just what does Layla have planned for the young princess? Is there more to her than meets the eye? Stay tuned and find out! ^_~**


End file.
